An ultra-modern weather surveillance radar has been initiated in Karachi. The radar is funded by Japan, with the ability to cover the country’s southern part for a radius of 450 kilometers and will help to assess the weather conditions round the clock effectively.
The inauguration ceremony “the Project for Installation of Weather Surveillance Radar at Karachi” was attended by Federal Minister for Aviation, Ghulam Sarwar Khan, Director-General Pakistan Meteorological Department, Sahibzad Khan, Consul-General of Japan in Karachi, Isomura Toshikazu, and Chief Representative Japan International Cooperation Agency, Furuta Shigeki.
The Japanese government initiated the early-warning weather radar system at a cost of $17.71 million. With the help of the radar, the weather forecast and the management of disasters will be improved.
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It is to be mentioned that such type of radar is already functional in Islamabad, while another two radars are likely to be set up in Sukkur and Multan. The Japanese government will be funding the four radars at a cost of $74.7 million.
Moreover, these radars will be covering more than 80 percent area of the country and will be helpful for the predictions of short-term weather conditions as well as monitoring of rainstorms and other atmospheric phenomena in all four provinces. Besides, they will help in the more accurate weather forecasts, delivering early warnings in an appropriate manner.
“30 years ago, Japan supported the previous Karachi radar project with enthusiasm and I am excited to build on our effort to assist the disaster risk management in Pakistan. “, said ISOMURA Toshikazu, Consul General of Japan in Karachi.
Meanwhile, FURUTA Shigeki, Chief Representative JICA Pakistan said, “I hope that the project enables Pakistan to forecast weather more accurately and contribute to the disaster resilience in Pakistan.”
The Government of Japan has assured that it will carry on the assistance in the disaster risk management initiatives of the Government of Pakistan.
